At just 25-years-old, Taylor Swift is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She is also the darling of the music industry, her legions of loyal fans fascinated by her every move – from her new releases, to speculation about her love life, her Twitter updates and celebrity endorsements. Little surprise then that the down-to-earth starlet has been named the most powerful person in pop in 2015.Taylor came out on top in a new poll conducted by a team of experts who analysed every aspect of celebrity life, from airplay to critical recognition, google searches and social media fan base.
Taylor Swift has been crowned the 'most powerful person in pop'
The Shake It Off star, who is worth an estimated £130million, has dominated the news in the last 12 months, with rumours about her love life, her reunion with Kanye West at the Grammys, and her decision to take her music off Spotify, helping her to take the top spot in 4Music’s 2015 Pop Powerlist.Second and third place went to UK male artists Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. The British boys have enjoyed a spectacular year that has earned them recognition on both sides of the Atlantic.Ed, 24, was the most searched for artist on Google, and he also topped the TV airplay chart for his number one single Thinking Out Loud. Sam, 22, meanwhile, topped off his meteoric rise with a number of awards, including four Grammys – making him 2015's top award winner in The Pop Powerlist.
Sam Smith came in at number three
Also making their debut in the top ten were Meghan Trainor and Ariana Grande following a year of hit singles for both starlets. Princesses of pop Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Rihanna completed the list, alongside One Direction and Maroon 5."The 2015 Pop Powerlist is dominated by female pop icons this year, with Beyoncé, Rihanna and Katy Perry joining Swift in the top ten," said Matt Rennie, Managing Director at The Box Plus Network. "It's great to see British artists like Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith taking the hot spots, proving the rise in popularity of our home grown talent. One Direction have clearly always been winners in the Pop Powerlist but it'll be interesting to see if they hold onto their place next year following Zayn's departure".The 2015 Pop Powerlist top 25:1. Taylor Swift2. Ed Sheeran3. Sam Smith4. Rihanna5. Ariana Grande6. Katy Perry7. Maroon 58. Beyonce9. One Direction10. Meghan Trainor11. Calvin Harris12. Mark Ronson13. Ellie Goulding14. Nicki Minaj15. Drake16. Adele17. Bruno Mars18. Kanye West19. Hozier20. George Ezra21. Lady Gaga22. Madonna23. Iggy Azaelia24. John Legend25. Sia